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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bear · trunk · drill · mark · ground · roll · shower · cell

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. drill — army training
  3. bear — the animal
  4. cell — in biology
  5. ground — a position
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. roll — a list
  8. shower — rain
  9. drill — a practice
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. drill — the tool
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bear — the animal
  17. mark — a trace
  18. shower — to wash
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. roll — a cake
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. mark — a grade
  24. ground — the earth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com